Toyota Center to install huge high-definition video screens

After a summer of dramatic renovations left the Rockets’ roster nearly unrecognizable from the previous one, the remodeling high above the court at Toyota Center could prove even more stunning.
It seems certain to be more long-lasting.

For the start of the team’s 10th season in Toyota Center, which will include the return of All-Star Weekend to Houston, the Rockets will unveil widespread upgrades to the arena, including the move to high-definition video screens billed as the largest in any North American arena.

“We wanted to make sure we created a better experience,” Rockets CEO Tad Brown said. “We think this is going to put us on another level.”

The entire project — from upgraded Wi-Fi to a new control room to run the video screen and game presentation — will cost roughly $15 million.

The makeover, which was part of the city’s bid to host All-Star Weekend, is to be largely funded by the Houston Host committee, which received the money from the Texas Special Events Fund based on its obligation to provide upgrades for the NBA All-Star Game.

The Rockets are fronting the expenditures and will be reimbursed only for a portion of the cost, with the money coming from the trust fund. The Rockets are expected to be reimbursed $8 million to $9 million, based on an estimated $150 million the event will generate for the local economy.

So far, the old video screens have been removed (the scoreboard rocket will be moved to the children’s “skycourt”), and most of the new control room has been installed. The video screens will be delivered in the next few weeks but will not be unveiled until the home opener Nov. 3.

Renovations include informational video boards in the corners of the arena; high-definition televisions throughout the concourses, suites and lounges; new carpet and tile; an overhaul and reconfiguration of the sound system; a new point-of-sale system at the concession stands; and a new marquee outside the building.

There will be more cameras used for in-arena video, and the cameras used for the past 10 years will be replaced with high-definition cameras, along with robotic cameras in the arena and hallways near the home locker room.

None of that will help the team on the court, but the games will look better — and not only because the picture on the big screen in the middle of the room will be clearer and larger.

Multiple options

The enormity of the 1080p screen — it will be 600 percent larger than the previous screens at approximately 58 feet by 25 feet facing the east and west sides of the arena and 25 feet by 25 feet facing the baselines — is the most obvious change. The Rockets say the extra space on the screen will allow them to do more than they could with the traditional video screens.

“Because we have more real estate, combined with the new control room and upgraded equipment, we can break the board up into different windows,” said Joe Abercrombie, the organization’s senior production manager producer.

“We can go full screen. We can have three windows. We can have stat panels on the sides. We can have enhanced replay layouts where we have multiple angles of one replay. We can have one window that shows you the live game in progress, and the other window shows you the replay of the previous play.

“It’s really endless. It’s up to our imagination how we lay out the board. I think full screen will be the most impressive to our fans up front, but as we get used to the board, they’ll like the idea of showing interactive stats on the sides.”

In keeping with general manager Daryl Morey’s emphasis on analytics, they also could bring information that cannot be found in the box scores he considers more inadequate than the old scoreboard.
“Daryl and I have already talked about getting with his staff to provide more information about the way they look at the games and getting that information to the fans as well,” Brown said.

Visually stunning

To Abercrombie, this will be about more than improved technology and a big, clear screen. A home movie shown on a new 60-inch flat screen is still a home movie. The goal is to create nightly Hollywood productions.

“This thing will be like an IMAX movie theater,” Abercrombie said. “Our approach is changing to a more cinematic approach for everything from our intros to our pregame videos to our timeout videos. We want everything to feel like you’re watching a short film. The board is just a board, a piece of equipment. What’s played on the board — that falls on our shoulders.

“I’m not saying we won’t do the ‘get loud’ moments. We want people to walk away with memorable images in their head. We want them to think, ‘That video was amazing.’ We want them to go on YouTube to find it. We want them to remember not just the board but the content they saw on the board.

“This is what guys like myself and the folks I work with live for. This is our realm. We want the fans to be engaged by what they see and hear. They are going to watch it and, I think, respond to what they see. It’s a dream come true.”

It is, Abercrombie said, his Game 7. If nothing else, the Rockets believe it will make the wait for the real Game 7 more enjoyable.

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Photo: Jim Prisching / Associated Press

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